I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hydraulic pump drives and more particularly to a hydraulic pump drive adapted to be secured to the rear of the engine.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The use of hydraulic pumps in conjunction with internal combustion engines, or the like, has become more and more prevalent in modern times to provide power for accessories or as an assist for brakes and steering for automobiles for instance. Such hydraulic pumps are driven by the engine and for this purpose a hydraulic pump drive rotatably couples the hydraulic pump to the engine.
These previously known hydraulic pumps and hydraulic pump drives have been typically mounted at the front of the engine. Only so many pumps can be mounted to the front of the engine, however, and as the number of pumps in use on an engine increases some means will have to be provided to mount at least some of the pumps to the rear of the engine.
Also, hydraulic pumps and their associated drive occupy a great deal of space at the forward end of the engine. In modern automobiles and other vehicles, engine compartment space at the front of the engine is limited so that elimination of the hydraulic pump and its drive from the front of the engine would be an important advantage for this reason as well.
Further, with hydraulic pumps and their drives at the forward end of the engine, they are exposed to damage in the event of a collision or the like. The repair or replacement of either the hydraulic pump or its drive is not only expensive, but also time consuming. Moreover, damage to the hydraulic pump may render the vehicle inoperable. Thus again it would be advantageous to place at least the more important and more expensive hydraulic pumps at the rear of the engine.